Journey To The Gate
by LoverlyYuffie
Summary: In 1925, Edward and Alphonse Elric, searching for a way to return to Amestris, follow a lead to New Orleans, where a magician is said to be able to do "real" magic, or alchemy in the brother's eyes. Based off the 2003 anime.
1. Night Party

**..::BASED OFF THE 2003 ANIME::.. Hey there! My second FMA fan-fic is up and running! I hope you guys enjoy~!  
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**Don't own 'em, I just use 'em.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Night Party<strong>

New Orleans was a city filled with life and diversity. Such diversity, as you can imagine, led to a stunning night life. In the night, the eccentric walked as free as birds, nothing holding them back from being who they were.

This city was also a cultural hub. From the far reaches of Japan to the closeness of St. Louis, New Orleans had something for everyone, from it's beautiful sights to the shops and stores. For two young men, however, it was the night that brought them. They came for the eccentric.

Following any lead of the 'supernatural' they could, these two young men – brothers, actually – tried to make sense of the 'magic' that they saw. To most, magic would be a thing for kids but for the Elric brothers, it was home. It was their best bet to find a way back to Amestris.

Edward and Alphonse came to New Orleans because they heard rumors of a magician whose 'magic' was real. If there was any lead that _could_ be traced to alchemy, the Elric brothers would investigate.

Darkness descended and lights everywhere went out. Then, just as their eyes adjusted to the dark, new lights came on, and shops once closed during the day bustled with life. People in odd clothing, normally undesirable during the day, came out and walked, at home with their surroundings.

Ed prodded his brother awake. "Come on, Al. The magician should be out now."

Al stretched. "Do you think he can do magic, brother? Do you think his magic is real alchemy?"

"We'll never know unless we find him." Ed set off down the street with Al at his heels. They looked down alley after alley, through shop after shop, but there was no sign of any magician or magic.

After looking for an hour, Al decided it was best to ask someone if they had seen the magician, in case the brothers had missed him. A man in a cloak walked past Al, and when he tried to get the man's attention, the man ran off, far away from the brothers. Al started after the man when Ed pulled him back.

"We still need to find the magician."

"But that man-"

"Has business of his own. And we have ours."

They walked around more before running into a huge crowd in the dark. Everybody was silent, listening, waiting. Curious, Ed walked up to a woman with short blond hair and tapped her shoulder. She turned around, her brown eyes looking at Edward.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!"

First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye stood in front of the Elric brothers, with a surprised look on her face. Or so they thought. Although she looked like the Riza Hawkeye they knew, she grew up in our world, and so never had the pleasure of meeting the two brothers before hand.

"Pardon?" She asked, taking a step away from Ed.

"Oh...sorry!" Ed said, embarrassed. "I thought you were someone else."

"It's alright. Happens all the time." She smiled. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Actually, yes. I was wondering if this was the meeting place for the magician?"

"It is. The French Magician will appear any moment."

"Oh, so he's a Frenchman?" Al inquired, looking up toward the empty stage.

"So he claims." She laughed.

"Why is it dark?" Ed looked around, noticing there were no lit lamps. "Doesn't he want people to see him?"

"It's part of his act. Just wait and watch." She help her finger to her lips, signaling the brothers to be quiet. At that moment, a flame circled the crowd and lit the torches. As everything lit, a man came on stage.

"_Salut, mes amis_! Welcome! It would be my _plaisir_ to show you the wonders that _le magicien de la flamme_ can do!"

His informal speech, his stance, even the glimmer in his eyes spoke of a friend that the brothers had left behind.

_The magician was Roy Mustang._

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><p><strong>FYI<strong>** Basically everything that's italicized in speech is french, and everything our worlds Roy says should be pronounced with a french accent, because this worlds Roy is from France (or he claims). ALSO, I probably won't write how to PROPERLY pronounce most of the french words, or what they mean. You can find out on google translate. HOWEVER, every so often I WILL write what it translates to, and how to pronounce it, if I feel it's important to the story. Like so:**

"Salut, mes amis!" _/sal-lute/mez/amy/_ Hey friends! (lit. hi, my friends)** (This is important because it explains why Roy's speech is considered 'informal'. Just like you wouldn't address your boss with a "Hey, how's it going?", you wouldn't address people you don't know with "Salut", it would've been more appropriate of Roy to say "Bonjour". Even more informal is to address them as your friends. :D )  
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	2. Flame Magic

**Chapter 2 is out now! I'm sorry that this is a little late, for some reason it took longer to finish than I expected. The sad part is I had it mostly written...it was just the ending to this chapter that was a little hard...*shrug***

**Don't own 'em, just use 'em.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Flame Magic<strong>

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing brother?" Al asked, as Roy walked around on the stage, bowing.

"Either Mustang didn't do his job...or that's this worlds Mustang."

"Who would've thought that the rumor would lead us to him...everything seems to lead to Roy."

"Even this worlds Mustang controls our fate." Ed looked at the magician, impressed.

"NOW!" Roy held up his hands for silence. "The _critiques_ around here have been saying I'm an _imposteur_. That I'm _faux_. That is why _ce soir_, I will be putting this to rest. _Une personne_ shall help me. Let us see..."

He jumped down off the stage and walked through the crowd. No one knew exactly what – or who – he was looking for. It wasn't until he reached Edward and Alphonse that people realized what he wanted.

"Ah! _Tr__è__s belle_! Tell me..." Roy walked up to Riza and kissed her hand. "_Quel est votre nom, ma ch__è__re_?"

Riza laughed. "My name is Teresa."

Roy smiled and led her to the stage. He jumped up and proceeded to help her on as everyone clapped. Roy instructed Teresa to take a bow while he took out a small box from his coat.

"In my hand is a box of matches. There's nothing special about them. But don't take my word for it. Maybe Miss _É__lisabeth_ would like to inspect them?"

"Teresa, sir."

"My apologies, Miss Teresa. You look more like an _É__lisabeth_ to me."

He handed her the matches, and she opened the box, proceeding to look through it. After a few seconds, she looked back up and nodded, signaling they were normal matches. She tried to give the box back to Roy but he waved it away.

"Now! For...further proof, I shall allow her to light a match and give it to me. It can be any match she pleases." He looked at her and smiled. Teresa took a match out of the box, struck it, and handed it to Roy. He asked her to take a step back, and he held the match in the air.

He started to move his arm around in a circle, the glow of the match following his arm movements until a flame started to follow, and he moved across the stage, moving his arm, while a flame followed until he wrote out a word using the flames.

_Teresa_

Everyone clapped as he waved the letters away. "Try and explain that!" he laughed. "Ah...but I know what all of _vous_ are thinking. Just another _illusion d'optique_. Miss Teresa, would you mind handing me a match or two?"

She opened the box again, but this time she dropped it and all the matches scattered on the stage. She started to pick them up when he touched her shoulder. "No need, you can just hand me a few from the ground. It doesn't matter, they're all the same."

She nodded, embarrassed, and handed him for matches from the ground. He struck them all, and threw three of them into some lanterns he didn't light at the beginning of the show. The fourth one, however, was held in his hand as he waited for silence once more.

He proceeded to move his right hand over the flame. Everyone watched as he stood there, concentrating. When Roy opened his eyes, and moved his hand up, the flame became larger, as did the three that were in the lanterns. He moved his hand to the left, and the flames all followed.

Roy started moving his hands in intricate patterns, and the flames followed them all. He held his hand out to the crowd and the flames moved forward at his command. They met in the center, and when Roy moved his hand down, the flame moved outward, creating another circle, much like the one from earlier. As everyone expressed their delight at the flame circle above them, the Elric brothers looked at Mustang.

"Brother...if this was really flame alchemy...wouldn't something-" Al started, before he was cut off by a snapping sound. The sound came from Roy, who snapped his fingers together, making the flame disappear.

"-be familiar?" Ed finished. "Yeah, I was wondering that too...but you saw that, right? Roy snapped, and the flame heeded his command."

"So...you think he has the transmutation circle somewhere on his person?" Al asked, over all the cheering.

"Only one way to find out."

Everyone cheered as Roy bowed. "_Merci beaucoup, mes amis_! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. _Bonne nuit_!"

The crowd started to clear, and the brothers knew they had to talk to Roy about his 'magic'. They also knew that they might have to force it out of him, just like they had to for some of their other leads. They were willing to take any risk to get back home.

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><p><strong>Woo...I don't much care for the ending...I felt it couldn've ended better, but this is what came out of my fingers, and I'm fine with it for now. XD Any way, before I get onto translations of a few words I have a few things that must be said...<strong>

**Teresa is Riza's name in this world (**yeah, you knew that already, huh?**) BECAUSE Riza is the Hungarian form of Thereza...which is Teresa (**and if it's not really...they sound so darn similar they should be**)...**

**Roy calls her _É__lisabeth _because in the 2009 anime, her codename was Elizabeth...and _É__lisabeth_ is just the French version.**

**Roy's name isn't really Roy...but the brother's don't know that, so they continue to call him Roy...that is...until the next chapter, where you find out his real name. **

**If Riza had handed him two matches like he originally said, he would've told her to hand him two more. He was planning on using 4 to begin with, but he wanted his assistant to feel like she had a choice in how many he got.  
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**Now onto the translations that are important!**

"Quel est votre nom, ma chère?" _/kell/aye/vote-ruh/gnome/mah/share/ _What is your name, my dear? **(unfortunately all I could thing of was gnome for nom...it's not as hard sounding as gnome is...but it's pretty close. You should be aware that I'm using pronunciation guides from MY OWN MIND...because I've never really been able to use the guides in dictionaries very well...they never sound like they're supposed to...well...to me anyway)**

**Oh yeah...and he says _'vous'_ which is the plural form of _'you_'...and I just thought he would change that out...just cuz he want's everyone to know he's french...sounds just like '_you'_ except with a 'v'...**


	3. The Magician

**Woo! Chapter 3 is now up and out! I'm not to proud of this one, but it'll do. It states what I want it to state, and I probably could've done more with the dialogue. But I pray you take notice of Roy's speech. Is anything...different? :)**

**Don't Own 'em, just use 'em!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – The Magician<strong>

As the crowd dispersed, the Elric brothers approached the stage. The Flame Magician had his back turned to the brothers, picking up his matches, while Teresa sat on the stage, having a conversation with him. When they got within earshot, she tapped the magician on the back and pointed toward the brothers.

"They wanted to speak with you."

He turned around and the brothers found themselves face to face with Roy Mustang. There was something almost eerie about the meeting. The Roy they knew had lost his left eye, and wore an eye patch, not to mention he was always in uniform, whereas this Roy had both his eyes, and wore slacks with a button-up blue shirt and vest. The only thing that seemed to remain was his overcoat.

"What can I help you with?" Roy asked. To the Elric brothers...something seemed off.

"You...don't sound the same." Al said. "Your voice sounds a little deeper."

"...what?"

"When you were on stage...your voice was a little higher...with more of a french flair..."

"...I projected my voice differently." He turned his back to them and presumed to pick up the matches. "As I asked before – what can I help you with?"

"We were wondering about your magic..." Ed stated. "We wondered... if it was _alchemy_."

"_L'alchimie?_ As in turning water into gold? Well, of course you don't mean the _scientific_ version of alchemy..."Roy started to mumble.

"What was that?" Ed moved closer to Roy.

"What was what?" He turned to the blond haired man. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"You heard me. If your magic was really alchemy!"

"Alchemy is a _science_, boy, not the fairy tale people have come up with. Although, I do take great pride in the stories of alchemy. One of the best alchemists was a Frenchman, and he's a center point in many of those tales."

"I _know_ alchemy is a science!" Ed leaned in toward the magician. "That's why you CAN'T turn water into gold. It isn't an _equivalent exchange_."

"You can turn _lead_ into gold, though. But that's illegal..." Al added.

Roy looked at the two brothers in disbelief. "Of _course_ you can change lead into gold, how _silly_ of me."

"Look, Roy, it doesn't matter if you-"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Roy yelled, cutting Ed off.

"I called you Roy...oh wait..." Ed silently cursed himself. "Your name probably isn't Roy..."

"Damn right it isn't. The name is _Le Roi_."

"Luh Rwa?" Al pronounced.

"Yes. Well, I DO spell it L-E-R-O-Y, but that doesn't mean it's pronounced Leroy, or just Roy...though, I guess that's better than nothing."

"So...we call you Luh Rwa?" Ed asked.

"I guess you can call me Roy, if you really want to. Doesn't make a difference to me, it's just a stage name."

"ANYWAY..." Ed stressed, not liking the conversation changing direction, "How did you do it. You're 'magic'?"

"That, my blond friend, is a mystery. Now..." Roy turned to Teresa, "What brings you to my show, Resa?"

"Curiosity...and this." Teresa pulled out a silver pocket watch and handed it to Roy. "You left it on the counter. You've always said it was important, so I didn't think you'd like to loose it."

Roy laughed. "It's important because I need it to tell the time. You could have given it to me tomorrow. What would you have done if your father caught you coming out this late at night. You know there are creeps about."

"Like you?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah, like me."

"Hold on a second!" Al raised his hands. "Does that mean this was rigged? You knew the matches were fake?"

"No, the matches are real." Teresa handed Al a match. "_Le Roy_ didn't know I was coming out tonight."

"Yeah, well..." Roy looked at the brothers. "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that I knew Resa. Even though talk is cheep down here, the slightest word against me would collapse my shows. I need to make a living somehow."

Roy walked off, leaving a disappointed Edward. "Wait! I'm not through asking you about your 'magic'!"

"I'm sure you have what you need." Teresa smiled and followed after Roy.

"No, we're still at square one!"

"No, brother...we're not." Al held up the match so Ed could see. They had the magician's tool, now all they had to do was find out his secrets.

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><p><strong>So, normally down here I would help you pronounce things, but considering Al pronounces Le Roi for you, I don't think that's necessary.<strong>** Oh, and Le Roi and Le Roy mean the same thing, and are pronounced the same. They both mean "King" (lit. The King). But I'm sure if you've looked on the FMA wikia you've probably seen under Roy's Trivia Facts it tells you. His name really does fit him. Too bad that's his last name in this story.****.. I wonder what his first name is... ?**


	4. Daytime

**So this is the longest chapter, coming in at 3 pages! Yeah...the other ones were 1 1/4 pages...^^; Is this a sign? Yup, it means I had more to say.  
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**Oh yeah, Roy doesn't like it when you believe in something he doesn't. He ends up getting headaches and a terrible attitude. DON'T DISAGREE WITH ROY...his life depends on it. XD  
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**Don't own 'em, just use 'em.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Daytime<strong>

The next morning the two brothers sat looking at the magician's match, wondering what secrets could be unlocked. They had both decided that the first thing to look for was a transmutation circle, for if it wasn't on the match, it'd be on the magician himself. The only problem they could find was the fact that the match was really too small to have a perfect circle on it.

"Brother, I've looked over this a thousand times...it looks like regular match to me..." Al handed the match over to his brother, so he could look once again.

"Riza thought it'd help us figure out his secrets...she's been helpful to us before..."

"We keep seeing faces...I don't know how you managed when you were alone..."

"I managed by thinking of home. And it turns out that the people here make good friends just like they did back home."

"I can't wait til we get back. We'll see Granny...and Win-"

"I'VE FOUND IT!" Ed yelled, startling his brother. He rushed over and shoved the match in Al's face. "It's on the head of the match! Not many people would be able to see it, especially at night! That sneaky, good for nothing-"

"Now we have to find him to ask about the transmutation circle." Al sighed. "I don't think he'd like to see us again. He seemed annoyed..."

"Who cares? We'll find him and get our answers, no matter what!"

During the day, New Orleans was just as active as it was during the night, if not more so. Today was a day for rain, so the citizens walked around with umbrellas or raincoats. The rain didn't bother the citizens, for it was the norm. It did, however, bother the two brothers.

It was hard enough to find someone in New Orleans, but with the added rain, most people looked the same from behind. It was hard for them to even catch a glimpse of someone's face. The rain gave them a challenge, but the brothers pressed on in their search. The magician would turn up somewhere.

Both kept an open eye and ear, for they were sure they would be able to spot his voice out in a crowd of many. A few times they thought they heard the all to familiar criticism that was present in Roy's voice, but each time they followed the voice, it was a dead end. Was their minds playing tricks on them? It wasn't until noontime that the brothers first got their real lead to Roy.

Ed and Al, hungry and tired after walking around all morning, started to head back to their apartment when they spotted Teresa, coming out of a local shop. If she really knew Roy like they thought, she would be able to take them to him!

"Miss Teresa!" Al called out, running toward her.

"Oh, you're the boys from last night! What can I help you with?"

"We were wondering if you knew where _Le Roy_ was during the day..." Ed tried to sound casual, but he couldn't keep the excitement from his voice. They had found a transmutation circle in this world. There was a possibility that this Roy could take them back home.

"I guess you two figured out something with that match." Teresa smiled as the brother nodded. "Alright, I'll take you to him. But I must ask, who are you two?"

"I'm Edward Elric and this is my little brother, Alphonse." Ed pointed to Al. "We came over from Germany."

"Well Elric brothers, I must commend you on your English, I would've never guessed you came over from Germany. I must also stress that you should introduce yourselves to _Le Roy_. Alphonse is a French name, so he might be more willing to talk with you today. He has a strange obsession with anything and everything French...going so far as to use it broken up in English..."

"I thought that was because he was still learning English...he _is_ the French Magician...right?" Al asked Teresa, as they started walking down the street.

Teresa shook her head. "He was born and raised in New Orleans. Though, I won't doubt that he's a first generation American in his family, his father normally spoke in French. No, he uses French in his act to _emphasize_ his French heritage. That, or to prove that he really deserves the title 'French Magician'."

"Why are you telling us this?" Ed asked, eying Teresa suspiciously. "I mean, why are you telling us he's a fraud?"

"Because Edward," Teresa stopped to look at him, "you're looking for something and you seem to need his help. I want you to realize that he has no qualms of lying. He might not know anything about what you're looking for, but that won't stop him from _pretending_ like he does. He likes to play tricks on people; to get them worked up. Even if you use force on him, he'll just laugh, because he likes to get a reaction out of people."

"You guys wouldn't be talking about Blaise, would you?"

Ed, Al, and Teresa look around to find Jean Havoc standing right next to them. Dressed in a white shirt, brown jacket, and blue jeans, his appearance matched that of the Havoc from Amestris.

"Actually, we were." Teresa turned to face him, "Is he working today, John?"

"He is, surprisingly. Normally when he has his..._escapades_...he's too tired to come in." He leaned closer toward Teresa. "Did someone go and see him last night?"

"I don't see what that would have to do with his sleep schedule."

"Then I take it you didn't stay for an after show?"

"John!"

He started laughing. "Kidding, kidding. Jeez, it's a wonder you two are together. You're so uptight. Why do you want to know anyway? Couldn't you just see him whenever?"

"These brothers wanted to talk with him. I was just making sure he was in the shopping district."

"Well, good luck you two. He's a bit overwhelming when you first meet him. You come to love him, though. Oh, and Teresa..." John turned in her direction solely. "Make sure you guys don't anger him. He's working there alone right now because I have to pick up a new shipment. I don't want to come back and find my store in ruins."

"I'll make sure he stays calm, don't worry."

"Thanks. See ya later!"

John walked off and left Teresa to guide the brothers to the place of employment of Blaise Le Roy. The brothers were surprised to find that both he and John McFarland, this world's Jean Havoc, worked at Havoc General Store. Although it's appearance fit more in with New Orleans and the time period, it still had it's old Amestrian charm.

They walked in and found Blaise behind the counter. Teresa motioned them to stay behind her, so he would see her first.

"Morning, Blaise." Teresa casually walked up to him.

"Afternoon, Resa." Blaise pointed toward the clock. "It's twelve-thirty. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you this early?"

"You remember those boys last night..." Teresa stepped out of the way to revel the Elrics. Blaise stiffened.

"Do you two want to ruin me?"

"You said you made a living off of being a magician. Then what's this?" Ed asked.

"Part-time." He sighed, "What on earth do you want? You've seemed to have dragged Resa in with your scheme. Did she put you up to this?"

"Our business is our business, just like that of Teresa's. Maybe they overlap, but I can assure you we're doing this for ourselves."

"Good answer. I guess I'm feeling helpful at the moment. What can I help you with?"

"Do you know what a transmutation circle is?"

"A circle you transmute with?"

"Well...yes..." Ed glared at Blaise, realizing this is what Teresa meant when she said he liked to play tricks on people. "It's an alchemists tool for preforming alchemy."

"Right... alchemy that can turn lead into gold with hardly any cost to the alchemist. I'm guessing you guys probably found a philosopher's stone, no?"

"Okay, look. I can't believe you're really dissing alchemy. YOU are the one who does magic tricks at night!"

"Because alchemy is a real thing! The alchemy you're talking about is the stuff of legends! The philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, they never existed! They were just stories to promote alchemy. What you're talking about, THAT'S magic tricks."

Teresa put her hand on Blaise's shoulder. "Calm down, please? Just listen to them. Continue, Edward."

"Right...well, we found a transmutation circle on one of your matches, and it's a pretty specific transmutation circle, our friend is the only alchemist that we know uses it, it's the Flame Transmutation Circle."

"What now?"

"See here?" Ed motioned for Al to pull out the match, "On the head, there's a circle with two hourglass shapes, a salamander, and a flame...that's the flame transmutation circle."

"I don't feel like messing around today." Blaise said bluntly and he reached into his pocket to pull out his match box. He held it in front of the brother's faces to show the logo of the match company.

"What you saw on the head of the match, that's the company's logo. We sell them right here in the store. Aisle 2, if you're wondering." He placed the match box back into his pocket. "You've started annoying me, Edward Elric. And I think it's your position on alchemy that's doing it. I normally don't like to end such a feverish discussion like this."

Ed started to open his mouth, but Al stopped him. "Thank you for your time, Mr. _Le Roy_. We'll be going now."

Al dragged Edward out of the general store and into the open street, where the rain had let up.

"What was that about, Al?" Ed demanded. "We still had more questions!"

"Brother, if we agitate him even more, he won't _want_ to help us. Let's just say he's using a transmutation circle without realizing it. Maybe he's using alchemy without realizing it too! So far he's the only person using magic with a transmutation circle. He's a true alchemist in this weird world!"

"Which is strange...but I guess not altogether impossible... it does kinda make sense..."

"So what are we going to do?" Al asked, looking at Ed.

"We're going to let 'Blaise' sizzle down before we start back with our attacks."

"Brother, I don't think we should mention alchemy around him anymore."

"You're probably right...we'll have to do it more subtly. Man, who would've guessed that alchemy was just as sensitive as religion here!"

Ed and Al went back to their apartment, happy with the headway they've made into going back home. Now all they had to figure out was how to get Blaise Le Roy to help them in their endeavor.

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><p><strong>A few things must be said about this. FIRST OFF, Havoc General Store is in New Orleans because it was built there when New Orleans was just starting out. It hasn't been destroyed yet because people still depend on it. That, and I just wanted to add Havoc. ANOTHER thing is that I gave the name Blaise to Roy...why? Isn't it obvious? It's french and sounds like blaze...how does that NOT fit?( Though it does mean limping...does he have a bad leg?)<br>**

**And here's something that I forgot to mention in the other chapter, Roy/Blaise calls Riza/Teresa "Resa"...that's spelled correctly****...just in case anyone thought it was wrong.  
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**Oh, and you might not like Blaise in this chapter, but I can assure you, once he's done with his headache (possible taken some ibuprofin)****, him and the Elrics will be getting along a little better next chapter.**


	5. Noontime

**Been forever, huh friends? Well, I've got another chapter for your viewing pleasure! I hope you like it!**

**I don't own 'em, I just use 'em!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Noontime<strong>

The weeks following their second confrontation with Blaise Le Roy, the Elric brothers made it a point to follow his every move. If they could figure out his schedule, then they could find an opening for more conversations with him. Unfortunately for them, Blaise was not a man of habit. He went to work at different times, he went out at different times, he even went home at different times. There was only one constant, and that was around 5 PM everyday he would walk to a house that they believed Teresa lived in.

"For a man without habit, he sure makes a habit of going to see Teresa everyday." Al noted once as they watched him enter the threshold of the house one night.

"_If_ that's where she lives. In all honesty, I wouldn't put it past him to be getting drugs or something." Ed sighed lazily. "Hell, I wouldn't put it past _our_ Roy..."

It wasn't until late one afternoon when Alphonse Elric realized what Blaise Le Roy was doing. The brothers had been eating lunch at a regular stop for Blaise when Al glanced at him and threw his fork down.

"Brother!"

Ed looked at Al with interest. "What?"

"He knows..."

"Who knows what?"

Al pointed to a figure that had just cast a shadow on their table. Ed looked to see what had seemingly frightened his brother to find Blaise standing over them.

"Mind if I joined you?" He smirked.

"Why? So you can start going off on us again?"

"Well, considering you're the one who started it...No? I guess _I'll_ be the _bigger_ man an-"

Ed stood up and thrust his face into Blaise's. "WHO ARE CALLING DWARFED-BEAN SPROUT-SHORT LITTLE-SNOT NOSED BRAT YOU ASSHOLE?"

"Heh. I guess you mean me, but I assure you it was unintentional." Blaise pushed Ed out of his face. "Though, mark this, next time it will be intentional. I found that rather entertaining."

"Please sit down, Mr. Le Roy." Al motioned to the chair next to him.

"Thank you." He took the seat.

"Yeah, whatever..." Ed slumped back down into his chair. "What do you want, anyway?"

"I actually wanted to ask you why you're following me. Because honestly, I don't think I'm your type."

"Yeah, I don't have a thing for jackasses." Ed muttered.

"And I don't have a thing for men, great!" Blaise smiled. "So, why are you following me?"

"Well...you see-" Al started before Edward cut him off.

"We'll tell you what you want to know if you tell us how you found out."

"That's fair, I guess..." Blaise looked at the boys more carefully. "I wasn't sure at first, so I started going out of my way to change my routine everyday, only to find that you did the same exact thing."

"You've been doing that for weeks just to throw us off?"

"Well, I didn't know, and I still don't know, what you wanted. Why should I let you in on my life if I don't know the reason?"

"But you still went to Teresa's house every night at around five..." Ed eyed him.

"Somethings couldn't be changed, fortunately for you. If you stopped seeing me, I guess you could have always found me there."

"Well, we were following you because...what you're doing...it...I know you don't like to talk about it, especially with us...considering our past conversations...but...your _magic_...we just need to..." Al stammered.

"Oh, that's right! Before Shorty McShort interrupted me, I was going to apologize!" Blaise looked at Ed fuming. "I'm sorry that I went off on you two. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, whatever that may be. It was rude of me, and I can assure you, it won't happen again."

"_Thanks_ Colonel Sarcasm." Ed replied.

"I was being sincere, but if that's how you want to be, fine." Blaise laughed. "So...uh...Shorty's brother..."

"Alphonse." Al corrected him. "And...uh...'shorty' is Edward."

"Alphonse huh? _Nobel and Ready_...do you think that fits you?"

"I do believe so, yes."

"I see. Well, Alphonse, I already like you better than your brother. Anyway, what were you trying to say before I cut you off? Sorry 'bout that too."

"Oh, it's fine. We...we were just...we're just...we're still wondering about your magic. I know you said it was a mystery...but all mysteries have reason...and..."

"I can't _tell_ you, Alphonse. It ruins the show, and it's a family secret. I guess, however, I can _show_ you again... a little private showing...here..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. "Follow this map and meet me there tonight. We'll have a little fun."

Blaise got up and handed the paper to Al. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work. Oh, yeah, and there's no need to follow me any longer."

The brothers looked at his retreating figure and Ed grabbed the paper from Al. "I wonder what's with his change in attitude."

"I think brother..." Al looked down at his plate. "I think it's because I talked to him...you get him worked up...just like you got Roy worked up."

Ed shook his head. "Shut up."

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><p><strong>After writing this chapter, I realized that Teresa is the only one who hasn't received a last name. Heck, even John (Jean) received a last name, and he was only there for a few seconds!<strong>** I still haven't thought of a last name for her though...hmmm...**

**And someone brought this to my attention two chapters ago. 'Make the chapters longer'...and as much as I would love to, this is a fan-fiction, not a real book. If this was a real book, i'd probably would've continued writing this chapter to include the little night meeting between the Elrics and Blaise. But because this is a fan-fiction being viewed on a computer, I'd rather have the chapters shorter so it's easier to view. I know when I see a whole bunch of words on a chapter on this site, I freak out. It's just my preference.**** When I'm reading a story on the computer, I don't want all chapters to be long, but I understand some need to be. I think it's because it's all presented on one 'page'...it makes me think of a long scroll...(and you are 'scrolling' to read it...pfft...hahaha...) Like I said, it's my preference, and I hope you guys don't mind. :)**


	6. Nighttime

**It's been a while, huh? I can say that I'm honestly proud of this chapter. My writing style has grown over the course of a school year, and you can tell. (I'm hoping it grew for the better! XD ) So please, enjoy while I continue to try and finish this one.  
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**FYI: I don't own 'em, I just use 'em.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Nighttime<strong>

Ed and Al walked the streets of New Orleans as shops and homes started dousing their lights. In the coming hours, the brothers would once again witness flame _magic_ – or alchemy. Neither were sure if it really was alchemy now. Although they had convinced themselves that he was preforming alchemy without realizing it...how could he? The longer the brothers thought about it, the more crazy it seemed. In order to use alchemy, you have to know the chemical composition of whatever you're transmuting. One can't simply transmute without realizing it.

So what he was doing...was it this worlds version of alchemy? Ed had been wondering about the differences between Amestris and this world, and how each thing connected. Ed admitted, there were some similarities, but also vast differences. Was it possible to transmute in this world without the knowledge of the basic principles? But that didn't make sense either...he would still be able to transmute if that was the case. This..._magic_...this worlds power...how different was it?

"What are you thinking about, brother?" Al asked, looking sideways. Ed had been unusually quiet as they walked the streets. He half expected Ed to be complaining about Roy – or Blaise – to the point of obsession.

"Al...do you think he'll show?" Ed asked. Edward had begun to take in the words that Riza – or he guessed Teresa – had said to them:

_ "He might not know anything about what you're looking for, but that won't stop him from pretending like he does. He likes to play tricks on people; to get them worked up. Even if you use force on him, he'll just laugh."_

Was this one of his tricks? Would he bail on them, and turn up the next day, pretending to have been there the entire time, just to see how mad they got? Edward could trace the parallels between the people of this world and the people of Amestris. He found that, although they grew up differently, they were the same when it came down to it.

_Their souls..._ Edward thought. That was the common factor between the two. This much he had already deduced from his time spent here alone, but it didn't really _hit_ him until he started traveling around with Al and seeing his reaction to them. At first, Al was saddened by their old friends lack of welcoming, but he grew happy – albeit a sorrowful happiness – when they would say or do something they remembered.

And that's what Edward was afraid of. Blaise Le Roy was an exact match to Roy Mustang of Amestris. And it wasn't hard to fathom the thought of Roy bailing on them...he always could find _something _better to do...

"Ed, he showed up...look." Alphonse interrupted his brother's thought with a shake and a point, directing the elder to look up the street to see a figure leaning against a building, reading.

It was true. Blaise Le Roy was waiting at the end of the street for the brothers. When Ed really thought about it, he realized that Roy _was_ a trustworthy comrade. Although he complained and bailed, when it came down to it, he took of the uncaring-aloof mask to reveal a strong-willed worker who rarely liked being made a fool of. That was the true soul of Roy Mustang and it was the true soul of Blaise Le Roy.

"Took you guys long enough." Blaise smiled as the brothers approached, pocketing his book. "I was beginning to think you guys weren't man enough to see _real_ magic at work."

It was with that statement that _ANY_ good feelings toward Blaise Le Roy left Edward. It reminded him that Roy – and now Le Roy – was an arrogant jackass who liked to feed off the insecurity and self-esteem of others.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Le Roy." Alphonse bowed a little, in sign of appreciation.

"Blaise, please." He waved off Alphonse, and proceeded down the street, signaling for them to follow.

"There was no need to worry." Al whispered to Ed. "He was coming all along."

"I have a feeling that he wasn't planing on it." Ed grimaced.

"Ed, he's the first person who can truly use alchemy in the world!" Al smiled.

"But remember...he doesn't know anything about the chemical makeup! So it's not alchemy...and that means..." Ed didn't finish his statement. He would never forgive himself if Le Roy heard him say _'he's right__'_.

"Mr. Le – Blaise!" Al called out. "Do you know the chemical components of the air around you?"

Blaise turned, slightly startled, slightly confused, at the question. "Ah...oxygen, I'm sure...I know there's quite a bit of nitrogen...there's water..._il ya toujours de l'eau...mais..._but exactly? No." He looked at Alphonse. "Should I?"

"N-no...sorry for asking." Al looked back at his brother. Blaise shrugged it off, and continued down the street as if nothing had happened.

"See? He doesn't know anything about chemical compositions."

"I...I was only hoping...b-brother?" Al's eyes started showing signs of tears. "What are we going to do now? If Blaise can't use alchemy...how will we get back?"

"That's the reason we're still going to see his magic at work. He might not be able to preform alchemy...but maybe his magic can still take us back!" Ed said decisively.

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><p>The brothers and Blaise were standing in a field, not to far from New Orleans. It was dark with the only light coming from the moon. The brothers had to squint to see the outline of Le Roy. He stood facing them, with his hands in his pockets. Although they couldn't see his face, they could tell he was thinking intently on something. Was he trying to remember how to preform the magic, or was it something less important – like what he was going to have for dinner when he returned?<p>

"Le Roy?" Ed called out. He wanted to see the power of his magic. They needed immense energy – and a sacrifice – to pass through the gate. Ed didn't want to think of the second requirement. He hoped that they would be able to find a loophole or a replacement. Envy and Hohenheim...Wrath and Gluttony... it occurred to Edward that each of the sacrifices to open the gate were powerful beings...was that a requirement? Did they need powerful sacrifices along with the powerful energy? Ed shook the thought away...he didn't want it to ruin this nights performance nor did he want to give Al any reason to question him. He'd hate to see his brother's face if he voiced his thoughts.

"Mr. Blaise...what's wrong?" Al sounded a little frightened. Blaise had been standing there, unmoving for a while.

"Ah...nothing. It's just...the air...it feels heavy with water. I believe it will rain soon." They saw Le Roy's head tilt, as if he was trying to show them he was testing the air. "Hopefully it won't ruin our night, huh? I'll make it quick."

He patted his pockets, and pulled out a matchbox. He lit one of his matches and moved it around in the air, his hand guiding the flames left into shapes. The flames, although duller than they were on his performance night, crackled and shone through the night sky. Ed and Al approached cautiously, in the chance that Blaise lost control of the flames and burned them. The elegance in his movements and the calm in his face left the brothers in awe. The only real time they had seen Roy use flame alchemy was when he was fighting Ed, so it was a little hard to appreciate his movements. The memory of that fight left Edward feeling a little cold. He was sure the Flame Alchemist's powers were stronger than what he had witnessed that day. He _was_ considered the hero of the Ishbal War. But how strong was he? And how strong was Le Roy? Would it be enough to send them home?

Lost in thought, Edward didn't see Le Roy's conclusion to his performance. He vaguely acknowledged that Blaise had done anything spectacular or important. When Blaise approached the brother's a look of fake pain crossed the older man's face.

"Tell me, Alphonse, what does it take to get this guy impressed. I felt it was one of my best performances!" A smile replaced the pain. His sense of humor was identical to Roy's.

Al laughed. "Brother get's like this when he's deep in thought."

"Well Shorty, don't think too hard. You don't want Alphonse here to have to walk home with an incapacitated brother on his shoulders."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BEAN-SPROUT-DWARFED-SMALL-EXCUSE-FOR-A-MAN-MAN?"

"All I said was 'short'." Blaise laughed, as he turned to lead the brothers back to the streets of New Orleans.

When Le Roy was out of ear shot, but still within seeing distance, Edward finally spoke.

"I'm not entirely sure Le Roy is up to the task of sending us home."

"What are you talking about, he's amazing!" Al looked forward at the older man. He never had any problems with their Roy like Ed had.

"Yeah, he's alright...but I'm not sure if it's _enough_..."

They continued in silence. Every now and then, Blaise would stop so they could catch up – and not get lost – with him, but his strides were longer than theirs, and he was usually ahead of them within a minute. It was darker now, so keeping up with him was essential if the brothers wanted to get back to their hotel before the sun rose.

A few more minutes and they were back on the streets of New Orleans. Street lamps were on and the nightlife bustled about them. Blaise continued to walk with the brothers for a while before he saw the alley that led to his home.

"It was an interesting night, I'll admit." Blaise smiled, the street light washing them in it's yellow light. "If you have any questions, or you just want to chat me up, you know where I work."

"Thank you for your time." Al said. "Goodnight, Mr. Le Roy."

"Goodnight, brothers." Blaise waved them goodbye and turned down the alley. Edward looked back at the retreating figured and found Blaise had also turned. Ed could see the flash of sadness on his face, before being covered up by a smile goodbye. Taken aback, Ed wondered if he had imagined it, or if Le Roy was playing another game with them. But Ed knew better than that. Sadness showed weakness, and Roy was not one for weakness. Wonder lingered in Edward's thoughts as he went to sleep, enhancing his usually weird dreams. In the dream to come, all of their friends – Amestrian form and Earth form – were crowded around multiple bodies, their faces glistened with tears. He could see Winry crying in to Pinako's shoulder, Fuery holding Black Hayate, and Roy and Riza with their heads bent toward each other, trying to compose themselves. Earth Havoc and Earth Bradley were there too, though their faces didn't show as many tears. Edward couldn't see who were the bodies, but he didn't want to know. Seeing Winry crying made him want to scream out. He just wanted to wake up.

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><p><strong>Ed's just having a bad dream...poor ed! That's why you need to drink warm milk before going to sleep!<strong>

**And I absolutely love writing Le Roy's parts. I think I might put more thought into his lines than Ed and Al's. XD  
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